First-Look at the Exotic Driving Experience at the WDW Speedway

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth had the chance to test drive the new Exotic Driving Experience at the Walt Disney World Speedway earlier today during a media event. The experience is set to officially debut on Monday, January 16th, but we’re providing an early look for those of you interested. We’ll start off with a video of Adam driving the Lamborghini SuperLeggera on the added modified course:

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The walls are decorated to promote the new offering in the briefing room

The briefing room is now shared for both experiences

Professional racer Christian Fittipaldi talking to the media

Gary gave details about each car and the track layout

The cars were then put into a hat and drawn at random to be paired with drivers, a fair method

Audi R8

Lamborghini Gallardo 560-4

Lamborghini SuperLeggera which Adam drove

Ferrari 458 Italia

Your video is stored on a flash drive if you choose to buy it for $90

Lamborghini Aventador

Ferrari 458

A new sign up on the building

You can see where they bought the car…

Adam gets ready to drive

Not the car he drove, but you get the idea

A car in action

Signage outside has been updated

If you look closely, you can see the old signage underneath

Merchandise available

Reservations can be made at www.exoticdriving.com or by calling 855-822-0149

Fun facts:

-They are looking to expand their fleet of supercars in the future, including a dedicated car for Thrill Ride (ride along) passengers.

-Ride videos are available for purchase at the end of the experience and run around $90 for a CD copy, with an extra charge for a USB version. The video includes a program loggin statistics from your run, including lateral forces, lap data and driver speeds.

-Vehicle speedometers are covered, preventing drivers from looking at their supercar’s speed. The Exotic Driving Experience aims to bring a focus on “technique rather than speed.”

-The vehicles all feature a paddle-shift system that eliminates the need for a traditional clutch. Gear shifting is accomplished using paddles located behind the steering wheel for easy access. Onboard computers aid in the shifting of the gears to accomodate for seamless shifting without requiring a release of the gas pedal.

-For those not comfortable with the idea of shifting manual (using the paddle shift), all vehicles are capable of being placed in an automatic shifting program led by the onboard computers. This program can be accessed at the touch of a button at any point during the drive, allowing drivers to try paddle shift but to switch to automatic mid-experience.

Josh Siegel’s 1/12/12 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

WDWNT Reporter Josh Siegel visited the Magic Kingdom on Thursday and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

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Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was testing

There is a window at the head of the queue area to give guests more info

It is still a fire station, just with three added Sorcerers stations

WDWFD used instead of the customary MKFD

Package Pick-up/Chamber of Commerce behind tarps

Pooh and Tigger now greeting guests in the garden

New flowers planted for the season

Roy and Minnie await the move back to Town Square

Some of the Confectionary and The Chapeau facades behind tarps

Sign pointing guests to character FASTPASS

Waits are short

This will soon be a Sorcerers window

A well hidden window

I can’t wait for someone to ask a price on it…

Another window

Yet another… they probably should move that bench…

The WDW/DLR trains merchandise in the window

Center Street behind tarps

The Bakery as well

This will complete the multi-year Main Street facade clean-up

I want ice cream… sniff…

I want soft serve ice cream… sniff…

The Main Street bridge is being repaired

Way too many in the treehouse for a not-so-busy day…

The Sunshine Tree Terrace is still behind tarps

The restaurant is closed, but the Sorcerers window inside is still available

Pecos Bill’s behind tarps

I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am about the Golden Oak Outpost menu returning

Big Thunder Mountain is closed for refurbishment through late-May

Cool pin trading idea

Looks like they are already rebuilding this lift hill

Frontierland Trading Post behind tarps as well

Madame Leota’s cart is now close to the Liberty Belle dock

LOVE this shirt!

From far away, we can see the roof of a tunnel being replaced

Workers out on the track as well

all of the railroad ties were removed to be replaced as well

Work continues on the new Fantasyland/Liberty Square path

The pet cemetery is being moved, it should return later

Walls in Fantasyland

Some trees being removed

Peter Pan’s Flight is being painted before the interactive queue installation begins this week

This will soon be a restroom

Dumbo removal

The beginning of the new Castle Wall

This should begin to grow shortly

A look over the walls

The old gives way to the new

The circus tent top is starting to appear

Another look at the new Dumbo queue, now set to open in March

Less and less scaffolding visible on the Be Our Guest Restaurant

Some final touches of snow being added to the Beast’s Castle

Belle’s Village

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Storybook Circus tents

Fantasyland Station

Back to Dumbo

You can see some of the Storybook Circus pavement already

The brick facade is starting to appear and it looks spectacular!

Back to Mermaid

Back to Belle’s Village

Enchanted Tales with Belle

Wide shot

Circus tent covering should go up on these queues soon

Timothy is expected to return as an audio-animatronic living character since he won’t be on the spinner anymore

All of the racks in the Seven Dwarfs Mine store are gone

The store will either be removed or replaced during the Castle Wall construction

Say goodbye to the diamond mine theme

This stroller parking is getting out of hand

The Sorcerers window in Frotnierland has a lighted element

It’s pretty cool

1/13/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

WDWNT Reporter visited the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Friday the 13th, so get ready for a not-so-spooky look at what’s new in the parks:

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A new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom window has appeared under the Main Street train station

Some new wall art was added to the Town Square Theater queue

Very creative

I think we’re going to see an elephant fly!

There he goes

He seems happy about it

Moving on to Studios

A look at the wait times

The stage is still up in front of the Sorcerers Hat

A pretty long wait for Star Tours

Most of the Muppetvision posters were replaced with posters for  The Muppets

The lenticular Muppets poster was also replaced inside the pre-show area

Osborne Lights are being taken down

Some Narnia props were moved to the Backlot Tour

The Block Party Bash cones are still sitting back here

The old fire truck that used to be located near the exit of Muppetvision 3-D was restored and is now along the Backlot tour route

Some minor changes over at the Magic of Disney Animation

The animation studio theme is being embraced with new signage

There is a campus map as if it were a real studio

Josh Siegel’s 1/15/12 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

WDWNT Reporter Josh Siegel visited the Magic Kingdom on Sunday to complete his Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom quest and he took some newsworthy photos from his trip to share with us:

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Pain and Panic disguised as happy woodland creatures

DEFEATED!

Merlin has statues of all of the villains

Hades has another challenge for us…

Chernabog!

Time to rest after defeating all of the villains

Ooooooo, a badge!

Hades isn’t happy

He’s trapped…

All of the Villains are stuck in a snowglobe

Progress on the old Dumbo

Mostly intact still

The Castle Wall waits to grow over this plot

The construction site is still a bit messy

The stroller parking situation is getting bad

Work ont turning the Skyway into a new path and restrooms continues

PLEASE… there will be nowhere to walk…

Land clearing for the new path

Most of the pet cemetery has been moved to accommodate the work

More Epcot 30th Merchandise

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

The Disney Parks Blog has just previewed more Epcot 30th merchandise. No vinyl yet, but let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Perhaps the greatest shirt ever printed… the 8-bit Figment tee. And for sure my next Disney cap. I just opened a new savings account at my bank and called it Epcot 30th Relief Fund.

That jumbo pin will find it’s way into my collection as 100 plus dollars find their way out of my wallet. And that set of Epcot logo shot glasses will be collecting dust on my shelf for years to come. There are many more pins on preview for the Epcot 30th celebration. Check them out at OnceUponAPin.com. No release date or details have been announced yet.

CONFIRMED: President Obama Coming to Walt Disney World!

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

Something HUGE is going to happen at Walt Disney World this week and in response Disney is preparing with some major entertainment changes. The following information was sent to cast members today:

Due to an event this week, please ensure Cast Members are aware of the information attached regarding updated operating information for this week. Note that updated Guest collateral will be delivered to operational areas beginning Tuesday evening, Jan. 17. In addition, an in-room letter is being placed in occupied Disney Resort Guest rooms starting tomorrow morning. Channel 19 (on in-room TVs) will be updated daily to reflect these changes.

The changes are for Thursday, January 19th and they are pretty significant. First off, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be running a fireworks show since Fantasmic! is not currently performing. The show is being called “Rock the Night! Fireworks Spectacular” and will perform at 7PM that evening. Three parks are also offering Extra Magic Hours that day: Animal Kingdom from 8-9 AM, Epcot from 9PM-12AM, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios from 7-10PM.

UPDATE: The Magic Kingdom’s Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade will also be moved to 3:30PM that day.

While we can not confirm it at this time, rumors are circulating of a special guest visiting the parks on that day. This news article may shed some light on the subject.

So, is President Obama heading to Walt Disney World with the family? It certainly is an interesting rumor since he admitted to having never visited when recording his lines for the Hall of Presidents back in 2009. We’ll let you know more as it becomes available…

1/17/12 UPDATE: It has been confirmed that President Barack Obama will visit Walt Disney World to “unveil a strategy that will significantly help boost tourism and travel.” Walt Disney World was chosen because it welcomes over 45 million guests a year, possible the most popular tourist destination in the world.

Hall of Presidents Who Visited Walt Disney World

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

With Barack Obama set to visit Walt Disney World later today, Disney was nice enough to provide some historical video of former presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr., and Gerald Ford during their visits to the Vacation Kingdom:

New Details on the Casey Jr. Roundhouse in Storybook Circus

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

While the new Disney Vacation Planning DVD didn’t offer much new information on New Fantasyland, there was one interesting piece of concept art and a new description for one of the smaller additions:

“The Casey Jr. water play area will feature water squirting from playful monkeys, elephants, and camels as Casey lets off billows of nice, cool steam.”

From the look of the concept art provided, guests will get to pose for photos with Casey Jr. in the midst of a wild water play area. While it may not be an E-ticket, the attention to character detail shown in the concept art has us pretty excited for this little corner of Storybook Circus.

 

 

 

VIDEO: “Rock the Night” Fireworks Spectacular Lights Studios’ Skies for One Night

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

One of our WDWNT Reporters visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios earlier tonight to see the one-night-only performance of the “Rock The Night” fireworks spectacular, which turned out to be a slightly altered version of the usual New Year’s Eve show. Enjoy a complete video of the show:

The show was an attempt to get guests away from the Magic Kingdom for the day while President Obama visited. Disney’s Hollywood Studios would typically run Fantasmic! in this situation, but it is currently under refurbishment, so running this show was the only other option. Guests seemed to have a great time, so I would deem this a very successful temporary replacement.

History of: The Land, Epcot

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

The Land Pavilion at Walt Disney World opened just about 35 years ago with Phase 1 of the rest of Epcot Center on October 1, 1982. 

Epcot, The Land Pavilion Circa 1982
Photo from Matterhorn1959.blogspot.com



For some undefined reason, this is my favorite pavilion in all of Epcot. It is not the most exciting. It doesn’t have the best food. And it is home to one of the longest wait times and hardest to get Fast Passes in all of Walt Disney World. But I enjoy the Living with the Land boat ride. 



It’s a nice relaxing trip through the greenhouses when the rest of the park is hot and in a rush. I enjoy Soarin’. Not as much as most, but the imagineering behind the ride system make it a special experience. I enjoy the smells of the food court. Not sure why, but the mixture of whatever they are cooking up makes me hungry every time. But most of all, I enjoy the sights. The greenery lining the entrance is inviting. The walls, ceilings and carpets are full of color. And then of course, there are the 4 seasons balloons…

And this is were Caley Hicks took her inspiration when designing the 9″ Park 9 The Land figure.

It is a remarkable figure, brilliantly illustrating summer, winter, fall and spring as seen on the four hot air balloons that hang high over the food court. Caley was able to incorporate all the features of each balloon including the bird on summer and butterflies on fall.

For me it’s the colors of this building that stay ingrained in memory and the colors here seem spot on.

The 9″ Park 9 Epcot, The Land figure will be in stores on July 20. The edition size is 1000 and the retail price is $44.95.

Now for a bit of history about The Land. The pavilion underwent a gradual refurbishment beginning on September 27, 1993. The pavilion’s main attraction, Listen to the Land, which took guests on connected boats through various exhibits within the pavilion, reopened mostly unchanged as Living with the Land on December 10, 1993.

The Kitchen Kabaret another of the pavilion’s original attractions featuring an Audio-Animatronics presentation about nutrition, closed on January 3, 1994. It was replaced with a new show titled Food Rocks, which featured some of the elements from the original show with an updated presentation intended to be more modern and appealing to younger audiences. Food Rocks has since closed down to make room for “The Land”‘s newest attraction, Soarin’. Soarin’s massive movie screens and ride mechanics required the construction of a large physical addition to the pavilion itself.

Symbiosis, the last of “The Land”‘s three original attractions, was closed on January 1, 1995. This attraction, which was a cinematic presentation that discussed both the positive and negative aspects of human relationship with the land, eventually reopened as Circle of Life, a new film featuring characters from The Lion King.

Between 2004 and 2005, the pavilion underwent its second major refurbishment. It received a new color scheme and foliage. The walkways and stroller parking to the pavilion’s entrance were redefined and widened. All of the carpeting in the pavilion was replaced, and the main food court was completely redesigned. The pavilion’s signage was updated, incorporating the new color scheme, new typography, and a modernized logotype.

Former Attractions:
Listen to the Land (October 1, 1982 – September 27, 1993)
Kitchen Kabaret (October 1, 1982 – January 3, 1994)
Food Rocks (1994 – January 3, 2004)
Symbiosis (October 1, 1982 – January 1, 1995)

Current Attractions:
Living with the Land (December 10, 1993–Present)
Soarin’ (May 5, 2005–Present)
Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable (January 21, 1995–Present)
Behind the Seeds Tour

Current Dining:
The Garden Grill Restaurant
Sunshine Seasons food court